In this time of high-gas prices, here's a Web site to bookmark in case you haven't done so already: www.fueleconomy.gov.

Maintained by the Energy Department, the site tells us what we already know - that our big vehicles use a lot more gas than small vehicles. But it's sobering to see it in black and white, especially when you can make comparisons between vehicles and see the results in graphic form.

For instance, my family owns three cars, a 2002 Honda Odyssey minivan, a 1998 Ford Explorer and a 1991 Honda Civic with relatively low mileage which we've kept primarily out of inertia but also for moments like these when gas prices soar.

According to fueleconomy.gov, the Odyssey gets an average of 19 miles a gallon in city-highway driving, the Explorer 15 miles and the Civic 29 miles.

The cost to drive 25 miles in the Explorer, $6.57; the Odyssey, $5,18, and the Civic, $3.40. The annual costs? $3,942 for the Explorer; $3,109 for the Odyssey and $2,039 for the Civic.

The costs were based on these assumptions: 45 percent highway, 55 percent city; 15,000 miles driven annually and $3.94-a-gallon gas.

Looked at another way, the Explorer uses 22.8 petroleum barrels a year, the Odyssey 18 barrels and the Civic 11.8 barrels.

Meanwhile, here's what my family fleet contributes to the greenhouse gases implicated in global warming: the Civic, 6.3 annual tons of carbon dioxide, the Odyssey, 9.6 tons and the Explorer, 12.2 tons.

Again, a very useful site with valuable information, including tips on how to save on fuel costs.

Looks like it's past time for us to swap out our gas guzzlers for hybrids.